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City seeking $6 million grant to build public transit hub

by Bob Gough, editor, QuincyNews.org

The city of Quincy is exploring the possiblity of building its own Union Station.

At Monday's Finance Committee meeting, the committee gave the city's administration the authority to seek a $6 million Illinois Department of Transportation grant to build a transit facility somewhere near downtown.

The facility would bring together city buses, Trailways buses, taxis, shuttles and an Amtrak station.

The city has until February 15 to apply for the competitive grant and plans to contribute the assets garnered from the sale of city property at 18th and Seminary Road as a potential match for the grant. City officials hoped the land, which has a vacant house on it, would bring between $40,000 and $50,000.

Finance Committee Chairman Steve Duesterhaus (D-2nd Ward) said there was no definite location chosen yet. Director of Administrative Services Gary Sparks said it would probably be in the downtown area. The riverfront would be the location with existing rails.

In August 2008, the city paid $95,000 for a five year lease for parking expansion at the Amtrak stations at 30th and Wismann Lane. There is also an option for the city to continue that lease in five-year increments for 20 years at $200,000.

Trailways current has its station at America's Best Value Inn at 300 South 3rd. Sparks said Trailways has approached the city about an interest in the facility.

The city's buses have their primary location on Jersey between 7th and 8th.

Alderman Raymond "Skip" Vahlkamp (D-6th Ward) said he thought the concept was good, but that he might "fight like Hell against the site" if it wasn't in the best location.

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Showing comments 1 to 10 of 14 | Next | Last

RainbowCowboy
Posts: 2

Re:
Reply #14 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 22:09:55

Maybe the city could buy that old, almost defunkt, stove company on front street for a couple hundred $$'s T-Spud, and put the depot there; the tracks are right out front, right?

RainbowCowboy
Posts: 2

Walbash Depot
Reply #13 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 22:04:44

Ya'll must be "newbes" in town. The Walbash RR brought tracks into downtown Q-town back in the 1850's. The depot was at 6th & York. The rails came up Delaware from front & jefferson, curved around to 6th just south of State, traveled up 6th to the yard (that big empty area east of Knappide) to the station. The freight yard was north of York (the big empty area the senior's center was built on). Don't know who ownes the right-a-way any more, but RR's rarely sell them. Maybe Norfolk & Southern (they bought Walbash)?

clvier1
Posts: 2

actually
Reply #12 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 20:34:20

If the grant is through IDOT, it's likely federal dollars, and restircted ones. There were trains pulling way into the downtown in the early 20th century, when downtown was a much denser urban environment. I don't think it's out of the question. The mall is sad, though at least seems to be holding its own vacancy-wise. With the economic bottoming-out I doubt we'll see what Cullinan proposed for some time, if ever. But they are unrelated subjects.

JDH
Posts: 1

WHERE?
Reply #11 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 19:07:18

Tracks on the riverfront? Next to Washington Park?
How about parallel to Broadway? No,wait! Elevated Trains like in Chicago! Yeah,that's it! That's the ticket! We would be SO uptown then. Just think of all the union city employees that would have a new job keeping everything clean for the HQBD.

bgough
Posts: 1

Re:
Reply #10 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 15:57:58

Tracks in the immediate downtown would be a traffic problem, I would think.

Tspud1
Posts: 2

Re:
Reply #9 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 15:39:11

I would think the Amtrak station should be next to the tracks. Just where do the tracks run in downtown Quincy? I know they say downtown area but just where would that be? Maybe we could give up part of one the parks on the north end that is close to tracks. I can think of some drawbacks to that area. I doubt if I will ever see it.

Seriously
Posts: 1

RE:
Reply #8 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 15:34:35

If they really want to increase revenue they should look at using that 6 mil to blow up the mall and build a new one with stores that people want. I haven't bought any clothing from the mall in years. I don't mind traveling 2 hours to St. Louis as long as I can get decent clothing.

clvier1
Posts: 2

a good idea in general
Reply #7 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 15:12:57

As a former resident who comes back to town once in a while, the downtown area is the most desolate and underutilized since we moved to Quincy as a family in 1981. On the other hand, the Amtrak station is nothing more than a novlety, with frequently full lots and falls far short of a station with that level of ridership. Yes, the state of IL is in bad shape, no argument. And yes, the city bus system is in need of improvement. I think anything that can give the downtown a boost is worth considering.

Alan Maclorskey
Posts: 1

sounds like
Reply #6 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 13:55:49

a really expensive place for bums to urinate.

keithm
Posts: 2

Re:
Reply #5 on : Tue February 09, 2010, 11:55:13

I think the idea is to make it appear that Quincy is a travel destination that doesn't require a car. Problem is, it's not. Spending 6 million to make Amtrak go to the riverfront doesn't make up for the fact that our bus system is one of the worst I've seen.

Showing comments 1 to 10 of 14 | Next | Last

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City seeking $6 million grant to build public transit hub

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